Stalling Inevitables
by Fortune Maiden
Summary: Dear Lord Kanbei...


**Stalling Inevitables**

* * *

_Dear Lord Kanbei,_

_How's it going? I hope you're not too lonely over there without me. You're probably spending all of your time worrying about all of us here (don't deny it, I know you too well) but I, the All-Knowing Hanbei, assure you that everyone you know and love is in good spirits, and we will rescue you from the evil clutches of Murashige very soon. When this is all over, we should go to Mino together and…_

Hanbei read over what he'd written, frowned and then crumpled up the parchment into a ball and tossed it across the room. The boyish enthusiasm he had tried to convey in the letter was nowhere to be found on his exhausted pale face. Hanbei raised his brush to get started on another letter but after a few more balls joined the first one in the corner, he gave up and wrapped his haori tighter around himself.

It didn't matter. Even a finished letter wasn't going to be sent anywhere.

* * *

"Hey Hanbei, how are you feeling?" Nene's gentle voice roused Hanbei out of his daze, and he quickly masked his face with a cocky smile. Concern was all over her face, and Hanbei hoped he hadn't appeared too haggard when she entered. Skillfully, he shuffled the maps in front of him, so that the map of Arioka Castle wasn't too obviously the one he'd been studying.

"I'm alright, Lady Nene," he told her in a calm even tone, because it was true to a certain extent. He hadn't been feeling too well for a while, and the excitement of the past couple of weeks had proven to be a little too much for his weakened body, but now that a certain matter had been…_taken care of_ (for the time being), Hanbei had been able to breathe much easier.

It didn't change the fact that danger was still looming over him though, a fact that constantly plagued his mind and robbed him of all focus in both work and personal matters. He'd let himself get too complacent before, but he had faith that his ongoing plot had a good chance of success. It had to. It wasn't just _his_ life at stake if he failed.

"You've been working way too hard lately," Nene was too close for comfort, and Hanbei didn't like how she was already starting to put the maps on the desk away. If she realized the significance of the map he had covered up, things would get a bit irritating. "You need to rest and let your body recover."

"Don't worry about it," he placed his hand on the papers so that she couldn't move any more of them, "This is just what it is to have to do the work of two strategists. I really hope to settle things with Murashige soon so I could go back to pushing most of the work onto Lord Kanbei. He's going to owe me lots of naps for this." Hanbei's smile was bright and playful, and for a moment, it seemed that Nene was convinced and would back off.

But that moment was broken by her next words. "Hanbei, about Lord Nobunaga's orders, surely you…" Even Hanbei couldn't hide his bitterness at that memory (mentally, he scolded himself for not maintaining his aloofness). Nene immediately regretted her words and apologized.

"Nobunaga's orders are absolute," Hanbei told her simply, "Excuse me, Lady Nene, but I have a slight headache." Nene just nodded sadly and he retired to his quarters without looking back. This was becoming an increasing annoyance. Whenever someone would approach him with that unpleasant topic, he would claim ill-health and duck out. He found it cowardly to use his cold to stave off unwanted dealings, but if it was the only effective tool left in his arsenal…

* * *

_We really messed up big time, haven't we? Nobunaga thinks you're a traitor and Lord Hideyoshi's in a bad position because of it. Nobunaga's made a few unreasonable demands, but don't worry, I can stall them long enough for us to get you back. I'll take care of things here. I promise._

How long had it been? One Month? Two? The trees still had leaves of bright red and gold when the nightmare began and now snow blanketed the bare branches.

It had been a warm Autumn day when Kanbei set out for Arioka castle, in hopes of pacifying Araki Murashige long enough for Hideyoshi's forces to "extinguish" the "sparks" of his rebellion (as he had so eloquently put it). The plan he had come up with was simple enough, and Kanbei had been confident in his strategy.

But then he never returned. And then Nobunaga found out that one of Murashige's most loyal followers was the Lord that Kanbei's father served. And then things got far more complicated then they had any business being.

Were it up to Hanbei, he would have launched an attack on Arioka castle then and there, but due to Nobunaga's pigheadedness, he'd found himself coordinating an impromptu secret rescue mission and let his opportunity slip further away when the stress of it all destroyed his already poor health. And suddenly it was winter.

Hanbei always hated winter. The days were short and cold, the nights were long and colder and he had no memories of a winter where he wasn't convalescing in a sickroom. This winter was particularly harsh, and he honestly couldn't remember ever feeling worse than he did. His fever kept him bedridden for weeks, his little sister (and occasionally Nene) was always hovering nearby with tears in her eyes, the Mori still ruled the west, Murashige was still holed up in Arioka, and Kanbei was still missing.

Even worse, Nobunaga had sent someone to check on him. No mention of _that_ had been made, but just seeing the Oda crest sent Hanbei into a delirious fit. His nightmares were plagued with heads. Heads of people he knew, heads of those he didn't, just heads, heads and more heads.

And no bodies.

* * *

Hanbei half suspected, half knew for certain that everything would work out in the end. Murashige was only delaying the inevitable with his idiotic plot, and sooner or later (and Hanbei was getting increasingly frustrated with that "later"), he would lose. Nobunaga would certainly be thrilled then.

It was Kanbei's fate that was much more uncertain. Hanbei knew of his innocence. Hideyoshi knew of his innocence. Nobunaga wasn't the fool he liked to pretend he was, so Hanbei was certain he knew of his innocence as well. But Nobunaga was still a fool in some respects. He was far too rash and ill-tempered, always ready to _act_. And then once pride and honor got mixed in, it was too late to think. And given the severity of the act (and Hanbei's current handling of it), a simple "I take it back" wouldn't be possible without losing face until Kanbei's innocence could be proven before the entire Oda army. Nobunaga certainly knew this well enough, which was probably the only reason he hadn't charged Hanbei with treason yet.

But the longer this went on…

If his order was carried out…

No. Hanbei had decided on it from the moment he heard it. He would do anything and everything to make sure that order was never carried out. As long as he still drew breath, so would the only son of his closest friend.

* * *

_Shojumaru asks about you in his letters. I've been keeping all of them in good condition so that you may have them when you return. His calligraphy is improving nicely, though it's still a little hard to read sometimes. Ah, I'm super jealous. I bet even a genius like you will struggle reading through all of these smudges I'm making. I've decided though; I'm putting you in charge of all my correspondences when you return Lord Kanbei. It'll be the least you can do for that amazing rescue I'm planning for you!_

Shojumaru really was a cute child. Though he had the same sullen face as his father, it was really hard to believe that he was Kanbei's son sometimes. The letters he wrote to Hanbei were short and very straightforward—he wrote mainly about his lessons, and the weather in Mino, but occasionally he would have some sort of little story about some misadventure. These letters, few as they were, would give Hanbei more strength than any medicine he was forced to swallow.

Shojumaru knew nothing of his situation. Hanbei had been very clear on that matter with his retainers in Mino. It was better that way, really. All such knowledge would have done was make the poor child worry unnecessarily and guilt himself over trouble power-hungry Warlords caused when they stopped thinking. Shojumaru wouldn't have been able to write such cheery letters, if he knew.

Of course, Hanbei did take great care to keep them hidden. After all the trouble he'd gone through to get Shojumaru into his family's safe care when everything began, he couldn't let himself slip up so easily. If anyone found out about the letters, all of his carefully laid plans would be revealed.

* * *

Mitsuhide, in a moment of either compassion or self-doubt (probably the latter), let it slip to Hanbei that Nobunaga's order was gaining popularity among Lord Hideyoshi's enemies, and that they were always looking for an opportunity to remind Nobunaga of it.

"If you continue this stalling, it's your Lord Hideyoshi that will suffer for it." He had said sternly. Hanbei couldn't really be sure of Mitsuhide's motives. Though at his core he was still the kind man Hanbei worked with in Mino, Nobunaga's influence had changed him a lot. Were his words a warning or an upcoming certainty or a broad possibility? Hanbei suspected it was the latter, but the latter could easily become the former if he wasn't careful.

"It can't be helped right now. I already know it must be done and I'll have to be the one to do it. But to go to Mino is too much of a hassle right now, between the icy roads and this slight cold I have," Hanbei's reply sounded carefree, but he knew Mitsuhide wasn't buying it for a second. Mitsuhide had more or less guessed Hanbei's plan from the beginning (it hadn't just been a mutual dislike of their former Lord that made them get along so well in the past after all), and to his credit, he was playing along rather nicely thus far. But Mitsuhide was a samurai through and through, and he was in no uncertain terms reminding Hanbei that he was too.

"And what will you do once this winter ends?"

Hanbei had several plans. None of them involved a trip to Mino.

Looking at Mitsuhide with guarded eyes, he just shrugged.

* * *

_The cherry blossoms were late this year. I wonder if it's because of the freezing winter we had. I knew it was colder than usual, but everyone else seemed to just brave it out like it was no big deal. I bet Mitsunari wound up going over his allotted coal budget. Pity I couldn't see his face when he ran the numbers. You better watch out Lord Kanbei, I think he's trying to usurp your place as the most sullen looking man in the army. (Although, we could take this opportunity to change your image for the better.) You know, I'm willing to bet you my entire stipend that when you see me standing outside of Arioka castle, you're going to have the biggest brightest smile…_

Hanbei probably should have been more concerned that his cold lingered despite the warming temperatures. Everyone else gave him a hard enough time about it, but Hanbei had other things to worry about. He was well enough to resume his work as a strategist (though he had yet to find a way out of their current stalemate), and he had even taken part in a few skirmishes.

Pity though, he still felt too weak to handle something resembling a long trip back home.

The situation with Murashige had only gotten worse, with several more lords flocking to his side, but Hanbei figured it was only a matter of time before the golden moment he'd been waiting for showed itself. Since he'd lost his chance for a head-on assault, Hanbei realized that besieging the castle became the most viable option. But Murashige was almost as good as delaying inevitables as Hanbei himself.

Hanbei only hoped he wasn't too late.

* * *

"Well, well and here I'd thought I'd find you crying again," of all people Hanbei had expected to deal with the longer he kept it up, Lady Noh was the last one he'd thought he'd see.

Hanbei wasn't sure why she had come to their camp, but he had a few guesses as to why she'd seek him out in his workroom.

"Princess, I keep telling you I'm the All-Knowing Hanbei now; I don't cry anymore," he thought he'd start by playing his usual carefree part, though he was anything but carefree these days.

"My mistake, it's just so difficult to remember when you still look like the child who used to follow me around in tears," Lady Noh was in good spirits too, and Hanbei couldn't help but want to continue playing along with her teasing. But she wasn't the same woman he'd been close to once. She was Nobunaga's wife, and she had chosen where her loyalties stood long ago.

"What brings you to our humble little castle, Princess?" Hanbei asked, eager to just get to the point already.

"Oh a whim, mostly," Noh admitted easily enough, "My Lord had some messages to deliver here and I had grown bored with Azuchi castle's dreadful scenery. So I obtained his permission to come along." Hanbei knew there was more to that story (the wife of a Warlord did not just _come along_ to another man's castle with a messenger), but he knew it was pointless to try and draw it out of her. If she wanted him to know, she would tell him.

"You know Hanbei, it's been a while since I'd seen you last," she suddenly changed topics.

"Yes well, things have been awfully busy here. I haven't had time for anything other than strategy."

"Yes, I believe the last time we saw each other, you were with that traitorous Kodera retainer, were you not? It must been nearly a year ago," Hanbei's eyes hardened at her choice of words. Noh's demeanor had changed completely. She was looking down on him with a cold face. And yet, Hanbei was convinced that there was something resembling pity in her eyes.

"I've heard about the order you were given."

"I'm sure everyone has by now, my Lady," Hanbei admitted with a dramatic sigh, "Have you come to tell me Lord Nobunaga wants my head now too?"

"I've come to tell you, you're being a sentimental fool." Noh's voice was harsh, and any other man would have flinched. "Almost a full year has passed. Kuroda Kanbei is either dead or working with the rebels by now. You're only making your life more difficult by clinging to such childish emotions."

It really wasn't fair how good Lady Noh was at cracking Hanbei's mask of indifference. He regretted his next words as soon as he said them.

"With all due respect, Princess, I don't think you of all people are in any position to scold me about not killing someone I was ordered to because of personal feelings."

* * *

_Lord Kanbei, it's so hot! Why is every winter so cold and every summer so scalding! Even the roofs are too hot to sleep on these days. I hope your captors had the decency to give you light summer robes. I told you black robes were a bad idea for this mission, but you wouldn't listen. Either way, I hope you're staying cool somehow. And healthy. That's the most important thing really. Lord Kanbei, you are absolutely not allowed to die before me. I'm older so I get that privilege. Don't worry though, I have no intention of dieing anytime soon. I've been feeling really great lately, so there's no reason to worry._

Ranmaru was really annoying.

Normally, Hanbei wouldn't allow himself to be so blunt, even in his own head, but after a persistent cough had robbed him of several consecutive nights of sleep, he was too tired to care. Still he made sure to keep a pleasant face when talking to Ranmaru. If it came down to it, Nobunaga would certainly favor his cute hard-working page over Hideyoshi's increasingly useless smartass strategist.

Still, the more Ranmaru talked, the harder it was for Hanbei not to snap at him. _Although_, he thought wryly, that he even lasted this long showed just how much he'd gotten used to his situation. There was no doubt in Hanbei's mind that his last exchange with Lady Noh was the root of the events that led to Ranmaru's visit. Vipers were sneaky like that. (Although Hanbei, who understood better than anyone how much suffering Lady Noh endured, had truly regretted his words and sent her several letters of apology. She had never responded, but Hanbei didn't dwell on it too much.)

"I shouldn't have to tell you why I'm here," Ranmaru clearly didn't want to have this conversation any more than Hanbei did. But such was the life of a devoted page. He would follow Nobunaga regardless of his own opinions. Hanbei didn't dare to entertain the thought of Ranmaru being the one who'd received that order. The outcome was too painfully obvious.

"You probably don't, but go ahead. I don't want to wrongfully assume anything," Hanbei's voice was low and hoarse from all of his recent coughing, but it didn't deter him from speaking as he always did.

"Very well. I am here regarding the order you were given nearly one year ago. My Lord requests a report on why it hasn't been carried out yet." Ranmaru spoke coldly, the way he always did when he was speaking for Nobunaga. That kind of pretentiousness only added to Hanbei's irritation.

"Well if a report is all he wants, I could have sent him a letter. There was no need to send you all the way here. As you can probably hear for yourself, I seem to have lost my voice a little, so if you would just wait a few hours, I could have a detailed story in writing before sundown."

"Lord Hanbei, if you don't _mind_," Ranmaru really was no fun when he was so serious like this. Oh well, it was worth a try, Hanbei supposed. "Why have you not yet sent Kuroda Shojumaru's head to Lord Nobunaga?"

From the way Ranmaru worded it, he sounded as if he thought Hanbei would send it at all. The strategist clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Really now Ranmaru, do you even hear what you're saying? Doesn't it bother you to speak of murdering children so lightly?" Briefly Ranmaru was taken aback by the rebuke and sputtered out a few meaningless syllables but he recovered quickly.

"Just answer the question, _please_," Or maybe not. Hanbei had forgotten how easy and _fun _it was to rile up the young page. He didn't want to go too far and turn this meeting into a mockery though. Speaking to Ranmaru now was like speaking to Nobunaga—if he was too flippant about his blatant disobedience, there would be serious consequences later. Hanbei had long ago realized that it wasn't the order itself that Nobunaga was interested in, but Hanbei's disregard of it. Ignoring it in such a way that wasn't too obviously insubordinate was the only way for things to be resolved peacefully. In that sense, Ranmaru's presence was a test. If he could convince Nobunaga's most loyal servant that Shojumaru's death at his hands was still an inevitability, then he could continue ignoring it until the next phase of his plan came to fruition.

Did Ranmaru himself realize Nobunaga's true intent in sending him here? Probably, he wasn't Nobunaga's favorite for nothing. He certainly was doing well not to fall for Hanbei's taunts thus far, at any rate.

"I haven't sent it yet because I've been caught up in several other important affairs, and I figured there was no harm in prioritizing a little bit. Shojumaru certainly wasn't going anywhere, so I figured Lord Nobunaga wouldn't mind too much if I carried out his orders at my own discretion."

"You may think that's alright for a little while but to put it off for a whole year?" Hanbei sighed dramatically.

"Well alright, since you insist. I'll part some of my sagely advice unto you," Hanbei cleared his throat of the painful tickle that had appeared before continuing, "You probably don't know much about children seeing as you're still a child yourself, so listen carefully. Children are _cute_." Ranmaru's hilarious blank face at that statement drew out a small smile from Hanbei. It almost made up for his irritation at this whole charade. He straightened up and continued.

"Shojumaru is no stranger among my relatives and retainers. He has known all of them for quite a few years now, so as you could imagine, he's as much a member of my family as he is of Lord Kanbei's. And Shojumaru is a wonderful boy. He's naturally gifted, but still devotes himself to learning. He has his father's wit and kindness. It's a pity he also has Lord Kanbei's frown, but well, nobody's perfect," Hanbei chuckled to himself at this, "A lovely child like that naturally attracts love and sympathy from the people around him, wouldn't you say? Can you even begin to imagine how they'd react to Lord Nobunaga's order?"

Ranmaru just gave Hanbei a wry look. For someone who complained about loosing his voice, he sure liked to add all sorts of extra comments into his explanation.

"Yeah they'd give me that look you have now," Hanbei agreed, "More importantly; you forget that the Takenaka family is a proud family of Mino that loyally served the Saito clan until the end. Oda Nobunaga is not a name they hold in high regard. If I told them to kill someone they're so fond of under orders from someone they're not so fond of…" Hanbei left that sentence unfinished. Ranmaru could piece the rest together himself.

"Do you identify yourself in terms of your family then? Should I take that as confession of willful disobedience?" Ranmaru asked all of the right questions, sometimes.

"No, you may take that as the reason why I have not left Shojumaru's fate in their hands. My family knows what the price for insubordination is, but I can guarantee that if I'd left it up to them, the wrong head would be delivered. It's unfortunate, but love would compel someone to pass another's head off as Shojumaru's. And if that were to happen…" Hanbei lowered his head, "Lord Nobunaga knows who Shojumaru is and what he looks like. He would never be fooled by such deception, but he would be enraged by it. And what excuse would I have in that situation? No, as soon as I had received the order, I knew it would have to be carried out by me personally."

"And yet," Ranmaru prompted quietly.

"Look at me Ranmaru, do I look like I'm in any condition to travel all the way to Mino right now?" Hanbei had been doing his best to appear as he'd always did in the past but he was well aware that when others looked at him, they saw a tired broken man plagued by persistent illness. "Since Lord Kanbei was captured, I've had twice as much work to do. Lord Motonari is a tough adversary too; if I'd left while the situation here was still volatile, there might not have been anything to come back to. Things have settled down a bit now, but I'm waiting for my own recovery from this little cold." Hanbei cleared his throat again, a little louder this time. He could already feel a violent cough threatening to choke him. He really needed to send Ranmaru on his way now.

"Tell Lord Nobunaga that this matter will be settled soon," Hanbei hoped that would be enough to satisfy Ranmaru. The young page was looking a little uncomfortable though.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, "Do you want me to—

Whatever Ranmaru wanted to say was drowned out by Hanbei's sudden coughing. He quickly covered his mouth with a handkerchief, but the aggressive coughs showed no sign of abating. Hanbei's vision blurred but he could vaguely make out Ranmaru's panicked figure jumping up. To his relief, Ranmaru made no move to comfort him (nothing would be more humiliating), but he did throw open the door and call for help.

The next moments were a blur. Several figures rushed into the room, one of which was female (his sister? Nene? Hanbei preferred the former). There was a lot of talking, but Hanbei's coughing muffled all of the words. Someone knelt beside him to rub his back.

The last thing Hanbei saw before his vision darkened completely was a bright red splash on the white handkerchief.

* * *

Fate really was cruel sometimes. The moment Hanbei had been waiting for had finally arrived, the battle plan he'd spent months working on was finally being implanted, the next phase of his _other_ scheme was about to be completed…and he'd been ordered to stay behind and rest.

He was feeling good now. Not great (he knew he would never feel "great" again), but he had enough energy to move around on his own, so he had enough energy to ride into battle. But Nene had been keeping an extra close eye on him since his disastrous meeting with Ranmaru. It felt a little like how Kanbei always seemed to watch him when he thought Hanbei was hiding something, only more blatant and smothering.

Ah, how ironic it was that the very illness that prevented him from rescuing Kanbei was the same illness that enabled him to protect his son for a whole year.

Hanbei sat at his desk with another sheet in front of him. He wasn't sure why he'd suddenly felt like writing another letter, especially when his long (_long_) awaited reunion with Kanbei was only a little ways off, but he felt as if the stack he'd been compiling over the year needed a conclusion. But what was left to write?

Hanbei started writing the letters during that long harsh winter, after his fever broke (and the nightmares finally stopped). It had been around then that he became aware that there was a very good chance that he might not see Kanbei again while they both walked among the living. Hanbei had always been aware of his own mortality, but he was a firm believer in the power of determination and truly believed that as long as he had a single goal that he absolutely had to see through to the end, his body would cooperate. That lonely winter had been a humbling experience indeed.

Originally, he had meant to keep a detailed log of his campaigns against the Mori. If Kanbei did find himself returning to his post as the sole strategist, he would have been able to pick up right where Hanbei left off. But as he'd started compiling his notes, he started making snide commentary in the margins and recalling the events that inspired his strategies, and before long the entire page sounded like an impersonal journal entry rather than a strategist's notes.

And Hanbei wouldn't have had it any other way.

He'd written hundreds of letters. Some were about the ongoing campaigns and other important things of note (all of those were kept in a separate pile), but the majority of them were letters that one would write to a friend who just happened to be elsewhere. Hanbei wrote about various trifles—the weather, fashion, gossip, Kiyomasa's ongoing crush on Nene—but he'd ended up burning the majority of the letters. Most of them had been written in the moment, coming off as complaints or revealing more about Hanbei's mental (and physical) state at the time than he himself wanted to share.

The letters that would be left behind might have been his last. He didn't want Kanbei to lament his inevitable fate. So he only kept the letters that Kanbei would have rolled his eyes at.

Did he even need a final letter? Was there any point to giving Kanbei the stack he'd already written, when their reunion was now a certainty?

No there wasn't, Hanbei realized with a soft smile. Anything he had to say now would be said in person. Even if their reunion would only last a little while…

Hanbei was confident that the Oda army would return victorious before the day was over. And he decided that he wanted to be right there when they finally returned.

The intense summer heat had finally subsided, so climbing up onto the roofs was once again a logical course of action. Hanbei settled on the roof overlooking the castle's front gate. He was too restless to take a nap (he honestly couldn't remember the last time he lazed about on the rooftops), but it was enough to just lie back and listen to nature's melodies for a while. He covered his face with his hat to keep the sun out of his eyes. Either way he would hear the army long before he saw it.

He found himself dozing off anyway.

A seasoned warrior like Hanbei knew the signs of an approaching army. The smell of iron and blood would fill the air, birds would stop chirping (or crickets in the nighttime), and general sense of foreboding that something was out of place was very prevalent. So Hanbei knew exactly when to wake up.

He watched from the roof expectantly, his heart pounding in his chest as the soldiers of Lord Hideyoshi's army came into sight. Lord Hideyoshi would have been leading the army, and Kanbei would have been right by his side, so Hanbei searched for the iconic sun helment.

He spotted Kanbei—weary, pale Kanbei, limping into the castle surrounded by victorious soldiers, and stood still unable to hide his smile. If he were still Crybaby Hanbei, he would have been crying.

When Kanbei finally noticed him, he stopped as well, locking eyes with his cheerful friend with a look of incredulity. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Neither one of them could believe that the other had lived to this moment.

"Hanbei." Kanbei's voice was low and weary.

"Welcome back, Lord Kanbei."

* * *

**Next time I'm writing a comedy...maybe. I don't think drama is my good point.  
**

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Samurai Warriors belongs to Koei and for whatever historical inaccuracies there are...sorry about them, but this is a fictional story based on a video game ^^"**

**Thanks for reading. I've been reading Eiji Yoshikawa's _Taiko_ recently and was inspired to write this story based on Yoshikawa's take on Araki Murashige's rebellion (short version: Hanbei is awesome). This event has been covered in a gaiden stage in Samurai Warriors Chronicles (that I have yet to play D:) but aside from calling Murashige's castle Arioka (as opposed to Itami which is the name that kept coming up while I was researching this) and mentioning Hanbei sneaking Kanbei's son into his territory (in _Taiko_ he's already there), I haven't really followed the game that much. For one, Hanbei is a required character in the gaiden stage (as is Gracia for some reason...)**

**A bit of history: Around 1577, during the ongoing battles against the Mori clan, one of Nobunaga's retainers Araki Murashige rebelled and holed himself up in Arioka castle. One of his supporters was a man named Kodera Masamoto, whom the Kuroda family served, so Kanbei used his personal ties to Kodera to try and resolve things peacefully...the end result was him being tricked and imprisoned for a year. When he finally did escape, he took a sword to the knee and had a limp for the rest of his life. Nobunaga did order Kanbei's son executed, but Hanbei was able to delay it until it became a moot point (not much point in killing the kid if his father isn't a traitor). I'm honestly surprised Samurai Warriors doesn't focus on this historical episode outside of a gaiden stage of a gaiden game. This is effectively _the_ Hanbei/Kanbei story that makes these two so popular as friends in fiction. (I do wonder how this year's Taiga drama plans to tackle this incident. Their Hanbei is kind of a douche o.o)**

**Note on Shojumaru Kuroda (aka Nagamasa Kuroda): I used his childhood name since he is about 9 years old in this story, but as I was collecting info I found two childhood names for him: Shojumaru and Matsujumaru. I used the former because that's the name used in _Taiko_ and the current Taiga drama which Koei has already made a tie-in with in SW4. (At any rate, Yukimura's name itself is apparently an inaccuracy so...)**

**Um yeah, Thanks again for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. :)  
**


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